Recollections of the Private Life of Napoleon — Complete eBook

Count Tolstoi, ambassador from Russia, who had been
recalled from this post by his sovereign to take a
command in the army, the grand decoration of the Legion
of Honor; to M. the dean Meimung, who had said mass
twice at the palace, a ring of brilliants, with the
cipher N surmounted by a crown; and a hundred napoleons
to the two priests who had assisted him; finally,
to the grand marshal of the palace, Count Tolstoi,
the beautiful Gobelin tapestry, Savonnerie carpets,
and Sevres porcelain, which had been brought from
Paris to furnish the palace of Erfurt. The minister’s
grand officers, and officers of Alexander’s
suite, received from his Majesty magnificent presents;
and the Emperor Alexander did likewise in regard to
the persons attached to his Majesty. He gave the
Duke of Vicenza the grand cordon of Saint Andrew,
and a badge of the same order set in diamonds to the
Princes of Benevento and Neuchatel.

Charmed by the talent of the French comedians, especially
that of Talma, the Emperor Alexander sent very handsome
presents to her as well as all her companions; he
sent compliments to the actresses, and to the director,
M. Dazincourt, whom he did not forget in his distribution
of gifts.

This interview at Erfurt, which was so brilliant with
illuminations, splendor, and luxury, ended on the
14th of October; and all the great personages whom
it had attracted left between the 8th and the 14th
of October.

The day of his departure the Emperor gave an audience,
after his toilet, to Baron Vincent, envoy extraordinary
of Austria, and sent by him a letter to his sovereign.
At eleven o’clock the Emperor of Russia came
to his Majesty, who received him, and reconducted
him to his residence with great ceremony; and soon
after his Majesty repaired to the Russian palace,
followed by his whole suite. After mutual compliments
they entered the carriage together, and did not part
till they reached the spot on the road from Weimar
where they had met on their arrival. There they
embraced each other affectionately and separated; and
the 18th of October, at half-past nine in the evening,
the Emperor was at Saint-Cloud, having made the whole
trip incognito.

CHAPTER XIII.

His Majesty remained only ten days at Saint-Cloud,
passed two or three of these in Paris at the opening
of the session of the Corps Legislatif, and at noon
on the 29th set out a second time for Bayonne.

The Empress, who to her great chagrin could not accompany
the Emperor, sent for me on the morning of his departure,
and renewed in most touching accents the same recommendations
which she made on all his journeys, for the character
of the Spaniards made her timid and fearful as to his
safety.